ValerieWhat did I have to offer?It was a question Lucas already knew the answer to. I had nothing. There was nothing I could possibly give to him.I was a slave who had been plucked up at such a young age, I’d never had the opportunity to learn a skill. I didn’t know how to cook or hunt. I didn’t have a lovely voice or an eye for art. I was simply…there. Existing in this terrible world.I studied his face, trying to understand. Trying to pry apart his reasoning. What could I offer? Me, a slave?Lucas leaned in, his body long and lanky and said in my ear, “Let me give you a hint. I’m sure you won’t forget your Alpha’s generous offer.”My Alpha’s…offer?How could he know of it? The offer that Alpha Xavier had promised me—one of freedom. Had he eaves dropped at the time? Did he turn into a bat, fly into the room and stick himself to the wall like a fly? Could he do that?The world was spinning around me. I was beginning to feel my legs going out.I felt my face turn hot as coals, and m
ValerieSilence swept over the room like a shadow. What once had been a crowd full of loud colloquy and laughter had become a sea of wide eyes and sheer silence. I felt a chill crawl up my spine as I read over their pale, bony faces. They were all looking at Lucas, like he was a monster of sorts.“Lane?” blurted Marvolo from across the room. “That Lane?” There was a suspicious furrow in his brow, but it quickly sunk away as he tilted his head back and laughed. “No, that’s impossible. I haven’t seen you back in Chelver.”He was laughing heartily, but no one was joining him. It seemed the rest of them half-believed Lucas’s identity, and it was leaving a striking mark on them, though I didn’t know why. Why were they so scared of Lucas? And what did the Lane name mean to them?Then the host stepped forward and cleared his throat. “For the sake of the archive, I must know, my guest. Are you…from that Lane family?” His voice was quivering in a way it hadn’t all night. Almost like he was…afr
ValerieI knew Vampires all had special abilities. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have been much of a threat to the rest of us—besides their thirst for blood, of course. But that threat would exist for as long as vampires walked the earth.Their real threat was their abilities. Most vampires were born with abilities that could take rivals to the ground, or assist them in catching their prey. Their powers had caused great destruction during the war, and the very abilities might’ve been the only thing standing in front of the werewolf’s eminent reign. If it were not for the fact that most vampires wielded fairly weak abilities, they might’ve even won.But of course, it depended on the vampire.It was said that the purer their blood, the more powerful they were. I recalled reading about it in some of my father’s many books. Pure-blooded vampires moved extremely fast. Some could leap over buildings, and some had unmeasurable strength. Some could even teleport—it was because of this that the hig
Valerie The door flung open. Two heavily-dressed vampiric guards stepped into the room. They parted to the sides and bowed for the individuals approaching behind them. The three were of high status. I could tell by the clothes they wore and the way they held themselves, striding into the room without a fleck of fear or apprehension. As they descended the stairs, it was as if the entire room froze up like a herd of sheep. All of the quiet murmurs and frantic shouting stopped. No one moved from their position. They all stared up, watching the men descent the stairs in silence. Of the three men, the one in the center seemed to have the authority. The man at his right was more rugged. A muscled vampire with a shade of darkness on his face. Something was terribly familiar about him, but I couldn’t put my thumb on it. He looked around, seeming frustrated by the sight. Then he glanced to his leader, as if they were exchanging wordless thoughts. The man to the leader’s left was far more ca
Valerie “Certainly, my Lord, this isn’t what you think.” The carefree one to his left was beginning to seem less and less care-free by the second. He swallowed and looked around at the many guests, the curtain, and the stage where Ava had been. The cage was hidden now, but it wouldn’t be hard to find. He laughed dryly. “Surely, this is just a party. No pet business involved.” Kronos raised an impatient hand to cut him off. “Lord Mueller,” Lucas’s brother began. His careless voice swept the room, silencing everyone else within it. “Do you think that my father knows nothing of your despicable business practices? Do you believe us to be blind?” The lord of Baycrest said nothing. His mouth cinched into a tight line and he lowered his head obediently to the Lane brother. “Hector, go check the vaults,” ordered Lord Kronos. The brother complied, bowing his head to his father and striding off. Once he was gone, Kronos turned to Marvolo. “Has the dispute been sorted, or do you require
ValerieIn all honesty, it was a pointless room. If one wanted to escape, they could have simpled reached for the end of their leash and unhooked it from the latch.We were humans with opposable thumbs, after all. Sometimes I thought the rest of the world forgot that we were physically capable of most of the same things they were.The only factors keeping us obedient were the fact that we would be horrifically punished if we were ever to attempt an escape—and also the large and intimidating guard that had been brought into the room.It was mostly his presence that pressed us to stay where we were and patiently await our masters. It was not long before my legs began to tremble from standing so long. I hadn’t had a break since the moment Lucas and I were seated on the couches, speaking to Marvolo. I wanted to pace, to run to stretch—but slaves were not allowed freedoms like these.After several moments of excruciating silence, a cough came from the guard. I looked over, watching as he t
LucasIt took all I had not to choke on the marvels of the Lord’s castle. The Lord of Baycrest was no different from the rest of the high society bastards in this place: prestige was everything.And yet, I found myself gassed by the gaudy decor. The over-the-top, tacky interior of this particular meeting room he had lassoed us all into. It was not usual for a lowly Lord of a poor and decrepit city to own such an expensive eye-sore of a castle.I moved with the crowd, but close enough that I could listen to the desperate rambling between Lord Mueller and Kronos. “Your majesty, please trust me. I hadn’t known a thing about this trade business. I certainly wasn’t involved myself.” He finished off with a laugh—a desperate, peculiar laugh, that was surely fooling no one.Especially standing in a room like this. I paused my eavesdropping to take a gander, soaking in the lavish decor. The velvet curtains, certainly purchased from abroad. The paintings, antique by the look of the crackling pa
LucasVampires had a particularly keen taste for fresh blood, and nothing else. Anything stale, frozen, or otherwise could sicken them. Of course he was lying, and of course, everyone in the room was now in on it.But of course, it wasn’t as if the Lord could admit to Kronos and the other high-class vampires that he had monetized plenty of coin from the illegal trade business, could he?No one seemed to be interested in the matter, but his blatant lie has settled over the room like a dark crowd. Worried looks passed over the faces of the present vampires—not because they were scared for themselves or their crimes, or even because it was unsettling knowing that their leader was committing a crime or two of his own. But because if Lord Vincent was keeping a supply of slaves for his feeding, that meant the famine was worse than expected.Slaves only lasted so long, after all. What would we do when they eventually vanished from the face of the earth? We lived for centuries, and human bloo